Meanings
nounrampart (plural ramparts)
plural ramparts
- A defensive mound of earth or a wall with a broad top and usually a stone parapet; a wall-like ridge of earth, stones or debris; an embankment for defensive purpose.
Between the southern end of the village, called Bridge End, and the River Thames runs a double row of ramparts and a ditch known as Dyke Hills.
1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 154, about Dorchester, Oxon - That which defends against intrusion from outside; a protection.
- plural normallyA steep bank of a river or gorge.
verbrampart (third-person singular simple present ramparts, present participle ramparting, simple past and past participle ramparted)
present singular third person ramparts · participle present ramparting · participle past ramparted · past ramparted
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Vulgar Latin*anteparō“to prepare”
- Old Occitanamparer
- Old Frenchremparer“to defend, fortify, inclose with a rampart”
- Middle Frenchrempart“rampart of a fort”
- Englishrampart
Borrowed from Middle French rempart (“rampart of a fort”), from Old French remparer (“to defend, fortify, inclose with a rampart”), from re- (“again”) + emparer (“defend, fortify, surround, seize, take possession of”), from Old Occitan amparer, from Vulgar Latin *anteparō (“to prepare”), from ante- + parō (“to prepare”).
More words from Middle French, Old French, Old Occitan
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مِتْرَاس
- مِتْرَاس (mitrās)defensive ridge of earth
Bulgarian отбрани́телен вал, укрепле́ние
- отбрани́телен вал (otbranítelen val)defensive ridge of earth
- укрепле́ние (ukreplénie)defensive structure; bulwark
- бастио́н (bastión)defensive structure; bulwark
Catalan baluard, terraplé
- baluarddefensive ridge of earth
- terraplédefensive ridge of earth
Chinese Mandarin 壁壘 /壁垒, 壘 /垒
- 壁壘 /壁垒 (bìlěi)defensive ridge of earth
- 壘 /垒 (lěi)defensive ridge of earth
- 壁 (bì)defensive structure; bulwark
- 壁壘 /壁垒 (bìlěi)protection against intrusion
Czech val
- valdefensive ridge of earth
Danish vold, bolværk
- volddefensive ridge of earth
- bolværkdefensive structure; bulwark
Dutch wal, bolwerk
- waldefensive ridge of earth
- bolwerkdefensive structure; bulwark
Esperanto remparo, remparo
- remparodefensive ridge of earth
- remparodefensive structure; bulwark
Finnish suojavalli, suojamuuri
- suojavallidefensive ridge of earth
- suojamuuridefensive structure; bulwark
- suojavarustusprotection against intrusion
- jyrkännesteep bank of a river or gorge
French rempart
- rempartdefensive ridge of earth
German Festungswall, Wall
- Festungswalldefensive ridge of earth
- Walldefensive ridge of earth
- Verteidigungswalldefensive ridge of earth
- Schutzwalldefensive ridge of earth
- Befestigungswalldefensive ridge of earth
- Bollwerkdefensive structure; bulwark
- Bollwerkprotection against intrusion
- Wallsteep bank of a river or gorge
Italian muro, cinto
- murodefensive ridge of earth
- cintodefensive ridge of earth
- cintadefensive ridge of earth
- recintodefensive ridge of earth
- baluardodefensive structure; bulwark
Japanese ランパート, ランパート
- ランパート (ranpāto)defensive ridge of earth
- ランパート (ranpāto)defensive structure; bulwark
Latin agger, vallum
- aggerdefensive ridge of earth
- vallumdefensive structure; bulwark
- moenedefensive structure; bulwark
Māori pākaiahi, maioro
- pākaiahidefensive ridge of earth
- maiorodefensive ridge of earth
- pākaiahidefensive structure; bulwark
- maiorodefensive structure; bulwark
- pākaiahiprotection against intrusion
Norwegian Bokmål festningsvoll, festningsvoll
- festningsvolldefensive ridge of earth
- festningsvolldefensive structure; bulwark
- bolverkdefensive structure; bulwark
- forsvarsverkprotection against intrusion
- bolverkprotection against intrusion
Polish wał obronny, szaniec
- wał obronnydefensive ridge of earth
- szaniecdefensive ridge of earth
- wał obronnydefensive structure; bulwark
- szaniecdefensive structure; bulwark
- bastiondefensive structure; bulwark
- zaporadefensive structure; bulwark
- szaniecprotection against intrusion
- skarpasteep bank of a river or gorge
- bronićto defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart
- obronićto defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart
- ochraniaćto defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart
- ochronićto defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart
Portuguese muro/baluarte/parapeito de terra, muralha de terra
- muro/baluarte/parapeito de terradefensive ridge of earth
- muralha de terradefensive ridge of earth
- baluartedefensive structure; bulwark
Russian вал, оборони́тельный вал
- вал (val)defensive ridge of earth
- оборони́тельный вал (oboronítelʹnyj val)defensive ridge of earth
- вал (val)defensive structure; bulwark
- бастио́н (bastión)defensive structure; bulwark
- опло́т (oplót)defensive structure; bulwark
- укрепле́ние (ukreplénije)defensive structure; bulwark
- стена́ (stená)protection against intrusion
- защи́та (zaščíta)protection against intrusion
- круто́й бе́рег (krutój béreg)steep bank of a river or gorge
- обносить валом (obnositʹ)to defend with a rampart; fortify or surround with a rampart
Scottish Gaelic mùr, mùr
- mùrdefensive ridge of earth
- mùrdefensive structure; bulwark
- gàrradhdefensive structure; bulwark
Slovak val
- valdefensive ridge of earth
Spanish baluarte, muralla
- baluartedefensive ridge of earth
- muralladefensive ridge of earth
- terrapléndefensive ridge of earth
- baluartedefensive structure; bulwark
- defensaprotection against intrusion
- baluarteprotection against intrusion
- murosteep bank of a river or gorge
Turkish sur, iskihkâm
- surdefensive ridge of earth
- iskihkâmdefensive structure; bulwark
- korunmadefensive structure; bulwark
- setprotection against intrusion
- istihkâmprotection against intrusion
- korunmaprotection against intrusion
Welsh rhagfur
- rhagfurdefensive ridge of earth
Cite this entry
APA
rampart. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rampart
MLA
“rampart.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rampart. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rampart,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rampart.
Source: rampart on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.